Assignment #2: Definition Purpose
Words only communicate when people generally agree on what they mean. It is easy to assume that people mean the same things by the same words, and easy to go on using a term assuming that others mean the same thing by it as we do, but definitions can make a big difference, or create huge misunderstandings, especially when we use words that signify controversial or contested ideas: “family values,” “feminism,” “political correctness,” “sin,” “cool,” “a guy’s movie,” “punk rock,” “emo,” “television evangelist,” “rivet head,” “shindig,” “hootenanny,” “public sphere,” “wife,” “husband,” “good table manners.” When important words or key phrases have more than one meaning, we need to make sure that the meaning we intend is clear; when a word or a key phrase is unfamiliar to our audience, we need to take the time to define it. Many terms and phrases, controversial or not, have several meanings, and provide the exigence for a thoughtful definition—one that inspires readers not only to reconsider how they perceive the term, but also how they perceive the world in which the term (or phrase) functions.
Prompt, Option #1: Offer an interesting definition for a contested word or phrase (like those above). Defend that definition against alternate definitions of the same word.
Prompt, Option #2: Invent a new word or phrase, define it, and show how it could be useful as a piece of language within a particular discourse community. For the sake of clarity, compare and contrast the term to similar pre-existing words. Also, provide at least one negative definition of the term (explain what it is not).
Audience: Write to a specific audience. You may write to a friend, to a group of undergraduates, to members of an organization, or to any other specific person or group of people. Keep your audience in mind as you write.
Length: 4-5 pages (double-spaced) Rough Draft Due: September 23, 2011 Final Assignment Portfolio Due: September 30, 2011
Purpose
Words only communicate when people generally agree on what they mean. It is easy to assume that people mean the same things by the same words, and easy to go on using a term assuming that others mean the same thing by it as we do, but definitions can make a big difference, or create huge misunderstandings, especially when we use words that signify controversial or contested ideas: “family values,” “feminism,” “political correctness,” “sin,” “cool,” “a guy’s movie,” “punk rock,” “emo,” “television evangelist,” “rivet head,” “shindig,” “hootenanny,” “public sphere,” “wife,” “husband,” “good table manners.” When important words or key phrases have more than one meaning, we need to make sure that the meaning we intend is clear; when a word or a key phrase is unfamiliar to our audience, we need to take the time to define it. Many terms and phrases, controversial or not, have several meanings, and provide the exigence for a thoughtful definition—one that inspires readers not only to reconsider how they perceive the term, but also how they perceive the world in which the term (or phrase) functions.
Prompt, Option #1: Offer an interesting definition for a contested word or phrase (like those above). Defend that definition against alternate definitions of the same word.
Prompt, Option #2: Invent a new word or phrase, define it, and show how it could be useful as a piece of language within a particular discourse community. For the sake of clarity, compare and contrast the term to similar pre-existing words. Also, provide at least one negative definition of the term (explain what it is not).
Audience: Write to a specific audience. You may write to a friend, to a group of undergraduates, to members of an organization, or to any other specific person or group of people. Keep your audience in mind as you write.
Length: 4-5 pages (double-spaced)
Rough Draft Due: September 23, 2011
Final Assignment Portfolio Due: September 30, 2011
Proposal Questions